Many pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products are packaged in bulk containers. Conventionally, these containers are bottle-shaped having substantially cylindrical sides. The bottles are typically manufactured by a process of injection blow molding. In this process, an injection molded preform is formed. Next the preform is stretched (blow molded) over a mandrel to create the final bottle geometry.
Conventionally, the bottles used are composed of plastic, typically high-density polyethylene (HDPE). HDPE is used because of its good molding capabilities, low cost and high moisture barrier properties. Many products packaged in HDPE bottles are moisture sensitive. A drying agent (referred to as a desiccant) may be incorporated into the bottle during packaging. The desiccant, (e.g. silica gel, molecular sieve or a combination of both) is typically a granular material that is packaged in sachets or canisters. The canister or sachet is dropped into the bottle prior to product filling on the packaging line. The canisters and sachets are available in 1-gram, 2-gram and 3-gram units.
There are disadvantages with the canister or sachet. For example, when placed in a bottle, the desiccant canister or sachet can interfere with product filling. The canister or sachet can cause the product (i.e., a tablet or capsule) to pyramid during filling causing the product to overflow the bottle. For products that require a large quantity of desiccant, the loose canisters and sachets may compete for volume in the package. The desiccant makes it more difficult for the user to access the product. In many cases, the users remove the desiccant from the bottle immediately after opening. Thus, once removed, there is no means to remove moisture from the bottle during product use. This can degrade the product during use. Because the desiccant canister or sachet is loose in the package, the desiccant can be mistakenly ingested by the user.